Issue - meetings

Cabinet is asked to note the positive progress and achievements over the last year on implementation of the Council’s Climate Strategy.  Members are also asked to approve the Climate Annual Report and the new Ecological Emergency Action Plan, before submission of the report package to full Council on 16 March 2023.

Cllr Sarah Warren introduced the report, moved the officer recommendations and made the following statement:

“Exactly four years ago in March 2019, Bath and North East Somerset Council declared a climate emergency, pledging to provide the leadership for the district to reach net zero by 2030. Since that evening, we have seen an increase in global atmospheric carbon dioxide by around 8ppm from 412 to 420, bearing in mind that scientists consider the safe level for human civilisation to be 350.

And local weather events over the last year, like last summer’s record-breaking heatwave which saw UK temperatures above 40^oC for the first time ever, have re-emphasised the importance of this declaration. We can now all see the damage being done with our own eyes, telling us we must maintain our urgency for greater and faster action.

B&NES also declared an ecological emergency in 2020, with the objective of being “nature positive” by 2030. Scientists estimate that the world's biodiversity is now just 75% intact, significantly below the 90% threshold scientists consider safe, with the UK languishing in the bottom 10% of countries for biodiversity.

Firstly, Cabinet, we are being asked this evening to note progress against our climate strategy over the last year. We are also asked to note the Climate Action Plan and route map, our updated Climate Strategy. Over that period, the pace of delivery has stepped up substantially with the creation of the Green Transformation Team and filling of a number of new posts.

Of all our many achievements, the one of which we should probably be most proud, is the adoption of our local plan partial update last month, making us the first Council in the UK to require net zero carbon in new build housing. We are also at the leading edge of councils in requiring 10% biodiversity net gain for developments – a year before this becomes mandated nationally.

Installed solar PV in B&NES has doubled in the last four years, assisted by the council’s participation in the West of England Combined Authority’s Solar Together scheme; we’ve installed solar PV on council buildings; and we’re working with the West of England Combined Authority on their retrofit accelerator to support householders in making their existing homes more energy efficient.

On transport, we’ve published our Journey to Net Zero strategy; established our new Journey to Net Zero transport stakeholder forum to hear from transport campaigners; built new safe walking / wheeling / cycle routes and published plans for more; we are progressing our 15 liveable neighbourhoods; brought in a bike hangar trial; and opened electric vehicle charge points. And we have plans for much more.

On nature we are caring for 80 hectares of woodland and 100 grassland sites, as well as creating 12 new flower-rich meadows through Bathscape; securing funding to create nature-rich areas across 34 hectares of green space Somer Valley; and changing management practices across 32 hectares of our parks and green spaces to benefit pollinators through  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79